Means for securing attachments to floor machines



N 24, 1942; w. s. FINNELL MEANS FOR SECURING ATTACHMENTS .TO FLOOR MACHINES Original Filed July 29, 1939 INVENTOR.

a M. wa R m m M May Patented Nov. 24, 1942 MEANS FOR; SECURING ATTACHMENTS TO FLOOR MACHINES Walter S. Finnell, Elkhart, Ind. ,"assign0r to Finnell :System, Inc., a corporation of Indiana Original application July 29, 1939, Serial No. 287,331, now'Patent No. 2,281,278; datedApril 28, 1942. Divided and this application November 22, 1941, Serial No. 420,061"

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in' means, for securing attachments to floor machines ofthe general type shown in United States Patent No. 1,881,431 dated October 11, 1932, to.W. S. Finnell, entitled Floor machine in which an electric motor is employed to drive attachments such as rotary scrubbing brushes, sanders, and etc.

The present application is a division of application Serial Number 287,331, filed July 29, 1939,

now United States Patent No. 2,281,278, dated April 28; 1942.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a floor machine or the like which includes. a driving shaft to which attachments to,

be driven thereby may-be quickly and easily at tached and detached therefrom without the use of tools.

A further object of the invention is the provision, ina floor machine or the like, of attach ments to be driven thereby which include center flanges having centrally mounted therein socket members which perform both the function of a socket member andof defining a slot inithe center of the disc, the provision of a hairpin-like spring member extensions of which form locking ears. The said locking ears when pressed. together'permit the entire assembly. to be snapped on to driving couplings which-havetongue-like projections fitting such slots anduwhich' have a central depression. adapted to be engaged by said locking ears.

Yetzanother object'of the invention is the provision in attachments for floor machines of openings near the center of said attachments.

which permit cleaning material, water or wax to be fed downwardly through the revolving attachment when the device is'in operation.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and. drawing which show by way of example one embodiment of the invention.-

Referring now to the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan view of an attachment for a floor machinewhich in the present instance is a rotary brush, the central or hub portion Figure 4 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 44 of Figure 3, showing, the tongue portion of the driving shaft positionedinthe attachment bushing and the bushing being engag'ed by said spring; and

Figure 5 is a perspective viewof the end of the driving shaft showing detailsof the tongue portion. 7 e I The rotary. brush includes a disc I 0 which carries a plurality of brush elements 24- extending from one; face thereof and all terminating on a line, suchasthe line 25. The disc I0 has a plurality of spokes II which support a hub Iii therein. 7 Qpenings 34 formed between these spokes permit cleaning materials, rinsing water, wax, etc., to be fed downwardlythrough the revolving disc to the brush elements when the device-is in operation.

Within the hub- It? is formed a rectangular slot 30 whichis centrally located with respect to the periphery of the disc It, A socket member 29 is comprised of a disc-like member I2 having a rectangular hole formed thereinand bounded by inwardly turned flat extensions I3 and I4, which -fit in the opening '30 and formthe long sides of the opening=39.

The disc I2, with its extensions I3 and I4, are preferably-punched and form dies which accurately size the width-of the opening, between the extensions I3- and I4. The plate I2 is secured to the hub Ill by means of bolts I5.

A spring 3|, which has the general form of a hairpin, has its free ends looped to formlugs 3I 3I and is positioned on said hub with the legs of thehairpin spanning the opening 30. A

plate IB- overlies the looped end of the spring 3I and is secured to the hub by;means of a screw H. In; order that the spring 31 be permitted to flex freely, adepression I8 is formed in the body of the hub lfi so that the head end of spring 3I may lie therein, and the plate I 5, when secured to the hub by means 'of'thescrew I'It overlies the depression I8 and therewith forms-a cavitywithin which the head'end of; the spring is positioned.

It is'obvious that'if; thQQperator grasps the .lugs 3l 3D, with the thumb v and fore-finger and presses these lugs together,- the Widthofthe portions spanning the slot 30 will be decreased as the lug ends are brought together.

Now, the member for driving the attachment (which is, of course, either driven directly by the motor or through gearing) carries a member 32 upon the end of which is formed a tongue 20 which is of a width to fit the slot 39.

In some instances the turned portions I3 and [4, especially when the member I2 is made of thin material, may be springy and so spaced that when the tongue is inserted, a snug fit is obtained. The tongue portion 20 is widest where it joins the member 32 and narrowest at the points 2| bordering the slot 22, the surface therebetween being curved. Within the tongue 20 is formed a slot 23 which is substantially wider than the slot 22 and which communicates with the slot 23.

When the attachment is to be secured to the floor machine, the operator reaches underneath the attachment, through the opening between the brushes in the present instance as may be seen in Figure 2, and presses the lug portions 3|, 3| of the spring together, and then registers the slot with the tongue 20 and presses the attachment upwardly, as viewed in Figure 4, until the plate I2 abuts the face 32a of the driving member.

When this point is reached, the legs of the spring 3| (which has been pressed together by means of the lugs 3|, 3") have passed through the slot 22 and are positioned in the slot 23 so that as soon as the operator releases the lugs 3|, 3F, the legs of the spring move oppositely or apart from each other and come to rest against the interior edges of the slot 23, whereupon the device is ready to operate.

When it is desired to remove the attachment from the machine, the operator grasps the lugs 3| 3", with the thumb and fore-finger, presses them together, and thereby brings the legs of the spring 3| near enough together to freely pass through the slot 22, whereupon the attachment may be removed.

Although I have herein shown and described a single embodiment of the invention by way of example, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the arrangement shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is: e

1. In a floor machine, an attachment including a plate having a central aperture, a socket member secured to said plate and having portions forming side walls extending into said aperture, and a resilient member having laterally movable arms spanning said aperture below said socket member and secured to said plate whereby said attachmentmay be non-rotatably locked to a driving member and rotated thereby.

2. In a floor machine, an attachment including a plate having a rim portion and a central portion spaced apart from said rim, 2. socket member having a flanged head lying within said central portion of said plate and forming therewith a socket aperture extending therethrough, and locking means mounted adjacent said aperture and on the bottom of said plate whereby said attachment may be non-rotatably locked to a driving member and rotated thereby,

3. In a floor machine, an attachment including a circular plate having a laterally extending rim and a center portion lying within said rim and below the upper edge thereof, said center portion having a socket aperture therethrough adapted to receive a rotatable driving device, and means secured to the underside of said center portion of said plate for non-rotatably locking said plate to a driving device positioned in said socket.

4. In a floor machine, an attachment therefor having a hub portion, a rectangular hole therethrough forming a socket centrally located with respect to the axis of said hub, a spring generally U shaped and having its legs spanning said hole, means engaging the apex of said spring for securing the same to said hub, driving means on said machine including a tongue portion for co-operating with said socket, and means forming a transverse T slot in said tongue, whereby the legs of said spring may be squeezed together, said attachment may be applied to said machine with said rectangular hole engaging said tongue portion, and said spring legs released to engage said slot for locking said attachment on said tongue.

5. In a floor machine including a drive shaft having a tongue portion at the end thereof and having a transverse T slot formed in said tongue, an attachment therefor having a hub portion, a rectangular hole formed therethrough and forming a socket for said tongue, and a hair-pin shaped spring having its apex secured to said hub and its legs laterally spanning said rectangular hole, whereby said legs may be pressed together while said attachment is being applied to said tongue and thereafter released to engage the widest portion of said T slot for locking said attachment thereon.

6. In a floor machine including a drive shaft having a tongue portion at the end thereof and having a transverse T slot formed in said tongue, an attachment therefor having a hub portion, a rectangular hole formed therethrough, means secured to said hub portion and carrying strips positioned in said hole and overlying the long sides thereof, thereby forming a socket for said tongue,'and a hair-pin shaped spring having its apex secured to said hub and its legs laterally spanning said rectangular hole, whereby said legs may be pressed together while said attachment is being applied to said tongue and thereafter released to engage the widest portion of said T slot for locking said attachment thereon.

'7. In a floor machine including a drive shaft having a tongue portion at the end thereof and having a transverse T slot formed in said tongue, an attachment therefor having a hub portion, a rectangular hole formed therethrough, a plate detachably mounted on said hub and having inwardly turned extensions positioned in said hole and overlying the long .sides thereof, thereby forming a socket for said tongue, and a hairpin shaped spring having its apex secured to 'said huh and its legs laterally spanning said rectangular hole, whereby said legs may be pressed together while said attachment is being applied to said tongue and thereafter released to engage the widest portion of said T slot for locking said attachment thereon.

WALTER S. FINNELL. 

